Asian Epic Forbidden Kingdom tops Blockbuster World Wide in it's first week release

Asian Epic Forbidden Kingdom tops Blockbuster World Wide in it's first week release

Jackie Chan and Jet Li's anticipated joint release beat out ''Forgetting Sarah Marshall'' to finish No. 1 in a hard-fought battle, while ''88 Minutes'' underperformed and ''Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed'' was a solid top-10 contender

By Joshua Rich

Jackie Chan and Jet Li may be getting old, but they packed a lot of punch into the box office this weekend. The Forbidden Kingdom, the first movie to pair the martial arts legends, fought its way to a victory, while the R-rated romantic comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall finished a strong second in a hotly contested race that helped boost the cumulative box office to its best result in several weeks.

The Asian action fantasy grossed a better-than-expected $20.9 mil, according to Sunday's estimates. That's Jackie Chan's best debut ever for a non-Rush Hour movie, and it's Jet Li's top premiere after 1998's Lethal Weapon 4, in which he had a supporting role. What's more, it's among the biggest openings ever for any martial-arts flick, and the highest one since Kill Bill Vol. 2 bowed with $25.1 mil in early 2004. With a kid-friendly plot and PG-13 rating (it was directed by Rob Minkoff, who also helmed movies like The Lion King and Stuart Little), The Forbidden Kingdom was able to draw in a young crowd, which accounted for fully half of its business and no doubt boosted box office. That audience gave the movie a strong A- CinemaScore grade, the best among all new releases, which suggests that the film should have more financial kick in the weeks to come.

A 21st Century American teenager takes a spellbinding, dangerous journey into martial arts legend in the new action/adventure epic FORBIDDEN KINGDOM. Shot on location in China, THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM marks the historic first-ever onscreen pairing of martial arts superstars Jackie Chan (RUSH HOUR, DRUNKEN MASTER) and Jet Li (FEARLESS, ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA), and features the awe-inspiring action choreography of Wo Ping (THE MATRIX, CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON). While hunting down bootleg kung-fu DVDs in a Chinatown pawnshop, Jason (played by Michael Angarano - “24”, “Will and Grace,” LORDS OF DOGTOWN, SEABISCUIT) makes an extraordinary discovery that sends him hurtling back in time to ancient China. There, Jason is charged with a monumental task: he must free the fabled warrior the Monkey King, who has been imprisoned by the evil Jade Warlord. Jason is joined in his quest by wise kung fu master Lu Yan (Jackie Chan) and a band of misfit warriors including Silent Monk (Jet Li). But only by learning the true precepts of kung fu can Jason hope to succeed - and find a way to get back home.